Electric car batteries to last much longer thanks to cooling solution Battery technology affects electric vehicles’ sustainability, performance, safety and cost. The EU-funded Reliefed project is optimising and validating a tab cooling innovation for batteries that could impact the future of electric vehicles. Transport and Mobility Energy © kinwun/stock.adobe.com A major challenge in the electric vehicle (EV) industry is to ensure EVs are safe and that every cell lasts as long as possible to lower the cost of ownership and use of resources. Enter the Reliefed project and its patented solution z.trusion®. This new manufacturing technology aims to meet EV market and environmental needs with affordable, long-lasting battery packs that are lightweight and fast charging, while ensuring an outstanding life-cycle assessment (LCA). One ambitious goal is to triple a battery’s lifetime. “Evenly controlled temperature, both inside every cell and between all the cells in the entire battery pack, is essential for a battery’s long lifetime,” explains Mikael Eklund, CEO of project coordinator Reliefed Technologies, the Swedish cleantech company behind the invention. “Tab cooling is known to be superior in keeping low and even internal cell temperature, but unfortunately it is expensive to achieve at scale.” z.trusion® makes it possible to integrate structure, cell fixation and tab cooling into one cost-effective component. This will enable greater safety, a longer lifetime and ultrafast charging at a lower cost that is suitable for mass production. The project’s preliminary LCA calculations indicate 900 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reductions for an EV with an 80 kWh battery. “If we utilise the possibilities of 6-minute charging to downsize the battery, the CO2e savings are approximately 8 000 kg,” adds Eklund. “The cost of the battery is reduced by 30 to 60 % per km, thanks to the longer life, reduced weight and our efficient production process.” Far-reaching effect on EV sector The z.trusion® technology serves as a fundamental element to allow an efficient cooling system that is ready for production in existing production lines. The tab cooling solution seamlessly integrates with an optimised structure with superior system performance into a complete system, thus minimising the number of components and materials needed. Ending in December 2024, the Reliefed (3D tab cooled Battery pack solution based on an innovative 3D extrusion manufacturing process to better manage thermal regulation of EV batteries) project’s z.trusion® is positioned to accelerate the electrification pace, with less use of natural resources, and be a key enabler for EVs that will last longer. “We see this as just the beginning,” concludes Eklund. “As our customers discover innovative solutions using our z.trusion® manufacturing technology, new product areas will emerge where z.trusion® becomes the essential catalyst for even more applications needed to combat climate change and make more competitive products.” If you are interested in having your project featured as a ‘Project of the Month’ in an upcoming issue, please send us an email to editorial@cordis.europa.eu and tell us why! Keywords Reliefed, electric vehicle, battery, cooling, cell, charging, tab cooling
